August 12, 2025 // Optional Memorial of Saint Jane Frances de Chantal, Religious
Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Matthew 18:1-5, 10, 12-14
Reflect on the Word //
“The roses are beautiful!”
I grinned as the towheaded toddler expressed her delight over the small vase of pink flowers displayed on the library’s circulation desk. Now, the flowers in question weren’t roses—they were carnations. And they certainly were not what I would christen “beautiful.” To be honest, I hadn’t even noticed them, despite the fact that they had been flaunting their unimpressive petals beside my workstation all morning—that is, until this innocent child had the eyes to see and pointed them out.
Later that week, as I waited on a young mom loaded down with picture books, I was met by a sweet observation from her little girl, who piped out gleefully: “She has the same color eyes that I do, Mommy!”
Amazed, I realized that in my haste to serve, I had failed to look (really look) at my young customer long enough to notice that her eyes were indeed green, just like mine.
Jesus would have noticed, I mused as I considered the keen insights of these precious little ones who had crossed my path. Perhaps that is why our Lord tells His disciples in today’s Gospel that “unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3).
Children have a great capacity to see as God sees, with a singular and selfless gaze of love. Most of them don’t let the anxieties and warped interests of the world alter or obscure their vision. They see beauty in carnations. They catch the color of a stranger’s eyes. They possess an innate awe of God’s creation and faith in its purest form. Simply put, their young hearts are more able to be turned and attuned to the Heart of the Father, Who never stops rejoicing over them.
So, dear sister, let’s turn. Let’s aim to emulate the sheer wonder and humility children embody wherever they go. Then, we will surely be invited to taste the delights which all little souls experience in Heaven.
Relate to the Lord // Look at a picture of your younger self and ask the Father to show You His Heart for her.
Cathy Webb is a consecrated virgin for the Diocese of Wilmington and the creator of the Sacred Heart to Heart prayer journal. A full-time Library Assistant, she finds joy in embracing the sacrament of the present moment and spreading the fragrance of Love everywhere she goes. She also treasures large cups of tea; her Chihuahua, Lucy; and anything Saint Therese. When she’s not writing and creating for the Kingdom, she can be found wearing a pretty dress while adoring the Heart of her Divine Spouse in the Eucharist. She is a contributing author to Blessed Conversations: Home. Find out more about her here.
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